A song is basically a monologue set to music. Singers fall into the trap of focusing so much on the musical preparation that a nuanced connection to the text and story is an afterthought. A well-known singer-actor colleague of mine devised a worksheet to help singers connect to their characters and the lyrics of the song. I am sharing excerpts of it here with you in an effort to give you some tools to help your performance gain more depth.
A. Treat your song as if it were a monologue put to music. Read your lyrics out loud without music or tempo. Notice how the words speak to you and what they mean. Be specific when writing out the answers to the following questions:
1. Who are you talking to?
2. Who or what are you singing about? How do you feel about that person or thing?
3. Where are you when you are singing this song?
4. Why must your character sing this particular song and these specific words?
5. Why is it that your character must communicate this right now?
B. Create a dialogue in your own words with whomever you are talking to in the song.
1. What was said right before the song that compels you to speak the words in the song? Write out that dialogue.
2. Often metaphors and imagery are used
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